Very Dissapointed w/ Celebrity Customer Service

[Live4Miles]

We had 2 issues arise during our recent trip on Celebrity Constellation (Harwich 4/23/08 sailing) that I felt compelled to write the customer service department to express my disappointment. I wrote a detailed explanation of the 2 issues and received a phone call from them (in the letter I told them they could write or call me to discuss) to tell me how sorry they were to hear of the problems. After the phone call they told me that they would "pass along" the issues and make sure the ship personnel were informed of the issues...and that was it...

 

As I detailed in the letter, I brought the issues up to the Guest Relations Office while on the ship but they weren't really any help. I would go as far as saying that they were inept or at least inadequate in there knowledge and response.

 

So I really had no choice but to take up my issues after the cruise.

 

I thought I should have been offered some kind of refund or future cruise credit, but was told that wasn't going to happen...They were "sincerely sorry for my troubles but all they could do was pass on my comments to ship and try to make sure similar problems didn't happen to future cruisers"

 

I don't understand why a company would leave a customer unhappy when it wouldn't cost them much to try and mitigate the problem (not just assure me that they would make sure persons involved on ship would be informed of problems). I would assume they realize that an unhappy customer will spread the word and cost them much more than some small "future cruise credit or partial refund" that would have probably changed an unhappy customer into one that understands that a company can have isolated problems and can rectify them with good customer service.

 

(sorry about the misspelling!!)

[lvtotrvl1]

I think it was great customer service to actually place a personal call to you to discuss the problem and pass it on to the right departments.

 

Not sure why everyone feels they are entitled to something other than customer service. It's your option if you cruise with them again or not. I'm really not sure why you are complaining.

[chessbriar]

To better enlighten us as to why you think you deserve compensation, would you like to tell us what the problem was?

[Live4Miles]

Here is my original letter (sorry if it is long, but I wanted to convey they whole story to them):

May 12, 2008

Xxxx Xxxxx

xxxx xxth St.

xxxx, xx xxxxx

xxx-xxx-xxxx

Reservation ID: xxxxxx

Departed Harwich April 23, 2008

I told myself I was not going to let 1 week pass before writing this letter. I wanted to not write it just after getting home so I would have time to consider the events and see how upset I actually was. It has now been one week and I am just as upset as I was when we finally took of from London on May 3rd.

I booked this cruise as a 20th anniversary trip based partly on the itinerary and partly on recommendations for your cruise line and the “Constellation” in particular.

We enjoyed the ports of call, quality of the food, and our cabin steward, but we had two major issues that would like to discuss.

First, my wife and I decided to NOT bring any “dress-up” clothes for the cruise. We would wear blue jeans and have a “relaxing vacation”. We decided before leaving home that we would eat dinner in our room each night and then go to the show and socialize in one of the lounges afterwards. We were on vacation and thought that would be a way to relax, eat in private but still be able to see the shows and have cocktails in one of the many lounges onboard the ship during the evening.

When we received our first “Celebrity Today” newsletter in our room we were shocked to learn that after 6PM we were NOT ALLOWED to go ANYWHERE on the ship (at least ANY PUBLIC AREA) if we were not dressed in “proper attire” according to the dress code of the day…and according to the newsletter that meant jeans were NOT allowed ANYWHERE on the ship after 6PM nightly. Besides the dining area on Deck 10, you had to wear “proper attire” in any public area of the ship. So we had no choice but to remain in our room after 6PM each night.

After 7 nights of this I decided, on Thursday, to fill out a comment card to make guest relations aware of our frustration with this policy and the lack of ANY indication in our cruise documents we received prior to cruising that we would need pant other than jeans if we wanted to fully enjoy the ship after 6PM. We received a phone message from guest relations officer Vesna Jakovljevic telling us, “you can eat dinner on 10th floor restaurant, it was always casual, but the rest of the ship had a dress code.” (We already knew we could eat in the “casual” area but chose to order from the regular dinner menu and have our steward bring us dinner) After receiving that call I went to the guest relations desk to discuss in person my frustrations. I was again told that I could eat dinner at 10th floor casual dining room but there wasn’t anything they could do about the policy.

I actually thought of leaving the ship on Wednesday when we were in Dublin and just getting ourselves back to London on our own. It was so frustrating being “locked in our own room” at night that if I would have had a way to check flights or ferry schedules and prices to England I think we would have just disembarked but I didn’t want to have to figure out travel plans on our own, without a computer so we stayed on ship and figured we would just endure 2 more nights locked in our room.

So two more nights locked in our room, I woke up Friday morning turned on the TV and started to watch a show taped the prior night onboard the ship…The newlywed game…And low and behold the first pair of contestants were wearing jeans and t-shirts.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing…just 24 hours earlier I was being told about the “dress code” throughout the ship after 6PM and now I was watching a couple picked out of the crowd wearing jeans! My heart sank.

We didn’t get to see ANY shows onboard and were unable to even socialize at night, because we followed the rules that were pronounced in the newsletter each day and by the guest relations desk.

The other problem we had was just as frustrating. When we originally booked the cruise through your company we were booked on British Airways flight BA299 leaving London at 4:13PM. We called and tried to get you to change us to BA297 which left London at 12:55PM(we had a 5 hour drive after landing in Chicago, so wanted to land as early as possible), but were told that we couldn’t be placed on that flight because it left 5 minutes before the 1PM cutoff time that you would book flights for.

Before we left home to go on the cruise I double checked the return flight schedules (thinking we could change flights at airport if we were there early enough) and they were all still scheduled for their original times and all were departing from terminal 4 at LHR;

On Thursday we received our luggage tags and instructions for disembarkation from the ship on Saturday. Our information said we were on the “LHR Terminal 5 bus”. Thinking that it was unusual that we were on a terminal “5” bus (not terminal 4 like I thought we should be), I went to the Guest Relations Desk, and again talked to Vesna. (I waited in line and happened to get her…I had just talked with her…see above…she must have been tired of me!!) Anyway, she looked on her computer screen and told me, “you are on Flight BA297 and it leaves from Terminal 5. I told her about the travel arrangements that your company had made and told her the above story about the “5 minute too early departure”, and she said, “No, you have been put on Flight BA297 and that it departed from Terminal 5”. I again told her that I thought both Flight BA297 AND Flight BA299 departed from Terminal 4, and that I hadn’t been informed of being put on the earlier flight. Her response was, “they must have seen the ship was going to be into Harwich on-time (or early) and since that would allow us to get to LHR on time, we were switched to Flight BA297. I told her that was great, we wanted to be on that flight anyway, but I said, “before we left home I checked the BA website and both of the flights left from Terminal 4”. She went in the back room and came back and said once again that she had the correct information, we were on Flight BA297 and that it indeed departed from Terminal 5. I thanked her for checking and thought that was it.

Well I’m sure you can see where this is headed. The bus arrived at Terminal 5, we found a cart for our 4 checked bags plus 3 carryon bags and headed into Terminal 5. Waited in line and when we got to the agent she asked, “where are you traveling to?”. I replied, “Chicago” and she said, sorry sir, you are in the wrong terminal. All BA flights going to Chicago depart from Terminal 4.

You can about imagine my disgust at that time. We proceeded to find an airport shuttle and made our way to Terminal 4. Again, after reaching an agent I said we were on Flight 297 to Chicago. After she “clicked” computer for awhile she said, “sorry, we don’t show you on that flight”. I told her we originally were on Flight BA299, and after checking she informed us that we still were on that flight! They charged us $200 to change to that flight and the rest of the trip went smoothly.

I partly blame myself for not “insisting” that Vesna call somebody to double check about the changed flight and terminal, but I assumed that she (and whomever she talked with in the back room) knew what they were doing. I was sadly mistaken.

When we filled out the comment card on the last night of the cruise (the one where you rate various aspects of the cruise experience and done BEFORE the airplane drama) I had a hard time deciding about the question relating to, “would you recommend this cruise to a friend”. I still am not sure how I would answer that question, and I guess that is why I am writing this letter. I want to feel comfortable recommending this cruise (and your cruise line), but as of right now I can’t. On that comment card I listed my phone number and email address and wrote if they wanted to know why I wasn’t satisfied they could contact me(the form only had 4 or 5 lines to write comments). I don’t know if those card get looked at or just thrown out, but we were told that they were taken seriously.

Please feel free to contact me if you need any further details.

I’m not sure who to send this to, so I am going to start with the agent that booked us originally and see where it goes from there.

Thank you for your time,

Xxxxx Xxxxx

[Fblack]

I was on the same cruise as you. In fact, it was the second leg of a back to back. While we dressed as per the dress code each night for our early dinner, we always changed clothes right after dinner. Even on formal nights. Usually I put on Dockers and a polo style shirt. Sometimes I even wore athletic shoes.

 

I went to the shows, Michael's Club, the casino, lounges, and no one ever said a word. I saw numerous others in casual dress as well. Sure, many stayed in dressy attire, but many did not. I ate in the casual restaurant one evening and saw people in jeans and other casual attire.

 

I have sailed on Celebrity numerous times. Their web site, your documents, and your Travel Agent should have given you the dress codes. I certainly hope you did not spend every night locked in your cabin because you were afraid to be yourself.

 

The mix up at the airport terminal was their big mistake. I too had them transfer me to Heathrow for our return flight. But before I left I called the airline to confirm the flight numbers and see what gates and terminal they use.

 

I understand your frustration, but I do not think your problems deserve a refund or any credit.

[bububr]

Sorry to hear about your dilemma.

 

Just wondering if you booked directly with Celebrity via their website, or if you booked through a travel agent. The reason I ask this is beacuse the information regarding dress codes is clearly spelled out on the website, yet some TA's tend to not pass the information onto their clients.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/whyceleb/heroSingleTxtSub.do;jsessionid=0000oMaq2GDY01jwb-h6LDi_RXd:12hdbcuh7?pagename=proper_dining_attire

 

However, many people do change into more casual attire after Informal and Formal evenings. And for the casino...usually people are dress nicely, but anything goes for some.

 

The issue that I see is that you booked on what is usually known a a more traditional formal line, and preplanned not to attend any of the dress up nights prior to your sailing. I truly can't see blaming Celebrity completely for this issue.

 

The second issue I see is that even though you made the effort to change your flights, you did not follow up with the changes. While no one should have to constantly double check every detail of their vacation, flying thru Chicago especially with the delays and weather changes, not to mention the recent cancellations of flights and airlines dropping like flies.

 

I not casting blame on you, Just re-iterating that these days with information available everywhere, It should be easier to be more aware of our actions and plans.

 

I can see where Celebrity did not offer compensation for the dress code issue, however if you made the effort to change your flights prior to departure with them, then they should accept some responsibility for their mistake and offer you more than just an apology.

 

Hope your future cruise are more enjoyable than your recent experience;) .

 

Dave:eek:

[cruzmaven]

Anyone who would stay locked in their cabin because of dress code issues, just isn't thinking clearly. If you had ventured out into the common areas you'd see a large percentage of the passengers in informal dress. Dress codes are enforced, if at all, in the main dining room, and no where else. Further, formal nights are what, 2 nights during the cruise? Why would you stay locked in your cabin every night? It doesn't make sense.

 

I think this part of your complaint stems from lack of planning and basic research on your part.

[ECCruise]

Further, formal nights are what, 2 nights during the cruise? Why would you stay locked in your cabin every night? It doesn't make sense.

 

I think this part of your complaint stems from lack of planning and basic research on your part.

 

It makes sense if the OP believed that the oft-quoted "rules" were to be enforced. No jeans any night after 6 PM:

 

Dining options abound aboard Celebrity. For breakfast and lunch, jeans, shorts and casual daywear are allowed in all dining venues before 6:00pm. After 6:00pm, this attire is allowed only in casual restaurants and cafés.

 

Although it doesn't reference other areas of the ship, it definitely could be construed that way.

[Live4Miles]

We just called the celebrity 800 number to book. What we understood before we left is that the dress code was for the dining room. When we arrived on ship and read the newsletter (AND ASKED AT THE GUEST RELATIONS DESK) it stated that jeans were not allowed ANYWHERE on the ship after 6pm. We are ones to follow rules (after verifying them, which we did on board)...

 

 

As far as the flight home goes, we did check onboard the ship and were assured our flight had been changed and that they had the correct departure terminal...we had no way to independently check that (I guess we could have called on the ships phones)...but Vesna was sure!!

[HollyK]

I'm sorry to hear of your problems on this special anniversary cruise Live4Miles.

 

All cruise lines have a dress code, some more relaxed than others. Its unfortunate that you were not aware of Celebrity's dress code prior to your cruise however I don't feel Celebrity owes you anything for your lack of knowledge about this. If you made arrangements thru a travel agent I would be speaking with them about this issue. I'm curious though why you had 4 checked bags and 3 carry-ons for two people and the only clothes you brought were jeans? I can pack all clothes including two formal night outfits for two people in less baggage than that.

 

The mess up over the flight situation is a different kettle of fish. If, as you state, one of the crew provided you with incorrect information/flight times/departure terminals, thus causing you undue stress, concern and $$'s, I do feel they should compensate you for same. Somebody screwed up somewhere and for that they should take responsibility.

 

In future, I suggest you always check out this kind of stuff yourself even though you shouldn't have to. If you'd gone to the internet you could have ascertained the correct info. While one should be able to depend upon the information provided to you, its been my experience that the person who cares most about my travel arrangements is me. :D It's also why I make my own arrangements as were I in a situation such as yours, I too would be very P'd.

 

I hope this experience hasn't ruined future cruise travel and that regardless of the foregoing, your anniversary trip had some positive highlights.

[Fblack]

Casual Docker pants are pretty standard in many men's wardrobes these days. They can be worn in the dining room on casual nights and like me, every night after dinner. I have to believe that Live4miles had a pair of Dockers with him? If not, I am sure they sold them (or something similar) at the first stop of Edinburgh.

 

I too hope they ventured out of their room at night as well.

[sunnytag]

You created your own problem and acted to the extreme. Not Clebrity's problem.

[chessbriar]

As to Vesna, she is was just relaying what the ship policy is. It's not her job to enforce it and if she tells you to disregard it, she could lose her job.

 

As to the flight information, she can only tell you what the computer shows. If you needed more assistance, they have concierge who can resolve issues like that.

 

We sailed with Vesna on the Galaxy last year. We had major problems with our cabin and she was incredibly helpful. We took time to come back and thank her for her assistance. While in Grenada during her time off, she saw us and came over to chat. We found her to be delightful and very helpful.

 

We also watched one night as she had to deal with a problem guest. The guest was yelling at her about X's internet packages. Complaining about the differnce compared to Princess. Vesna was very professional as to how she handled it.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your problems, but your letter give me hope we'll see her in November when we sail.

[sasset]

I think that Celebrity owes you at the very least the change fees for the flight that they changed you to. I would take that to the next level. If you address your concerns in writing to Jack Hanrahan, you will most likely get a call from some underling in his office (I did). You may get a remedy that way.

 

As far as the dress code, I commend you for adhering to the rules, rules that Celebrity doesn't adhere to...to bad your reward for following them was a punishment.

 

I find it interesting that many comments have been made on this board about not conforming to the dress code and bemoaning the sight of blue jeans, yet after your attempt to follow the rules you are told that you were not 'thinking clearly'.

 

Regards

[candbgirl]

I was on the Constellation two weeks ago. I have cruised many times on many lines and I have to say I was very surprised at how dressed up people were at night. We always dressed up and stayed that way(late sitting -late show) but it was obvious from walking around the ship that many people did too. Of course there were many who didn't stay dressed up. But I didn't see jeans at night. I'm not sure why you booked with Celebrity. Celebrity is known for dressy formal nights and informal nights. If you had joined the Roll Call over at Celebrity Connections you could have discussed your cruise beforehand. There are also several threads dealing with dress codes on Celebrity ships. Since you had made the decision to eat in the upsatirs restaurant it would have been no problem. But I don't think bringing a pair of khakis would have ruined your cruise and or caused you not to relax. As for the air problem. There is a big computer room on Constellation. You could have checked the flight information yourself, including gate and terminal assignment and flight number. If Celebrity had bad information you could have printed out the info and taken it back to the Customer Service desk and asked(or told) them to put you on a different bus. I agree with you about Vesna. She is rude and condescending. I noted in my evaluation this about her. It's a shame that you had to deal with her not once but twice. I didn't like what she told me and I was sure she was wrong so I went away and came back afew hours late. Differen person different response.

[Live4Miles]

Let me reinterate...before leaving we thought dress code was for dining room only...not for all "public areas" of the ship after 6pm (I am going to find our original cruise documents and make sure they didn't mention the "dress code policy for all public areas"...I thought the documents mentioned dining room dress codes...which is why we chose not to utilize the dining room)

 

I was ALWAYS polite to Vesna...I am NOT the guy you see yelling and waving arms!!!

[bububr]

I believe its Dan Hanrahan, not Jack;) .

 

Dave:eek:

[usha]

You might have a valid gripe with Celebrity about the flight mess-up, but the dress code mess-up was yours.

[HollyK]

As for the air problem. There is a big computer room on Constellation. You could have checked the flight information yourself, including gate and terminal assignment and flight number. If Celebrity had bad information you could have printed out the info and taken it back to the Customer Service desk and asked(or told) them to put you on a different bus.

 

Yes he could have but it is not incumbent upon him (or anyone) to do so. Some folks may not know how to use the Inet. It is Celebrity's responsibility to provide accurate info. Where they do not, thus causing undue stress/$$'s to the customer, they should take appropriate action to correct same. It's called customer service for a reason.

[Friscorays]

Issue 1:

 

I can not understand why one would expect Celebrity to compensate them for failure to bring proper attire. If this worked, I could use Celebrity to fund my clothing budget each time I cruised (until they caught onto my scam).

 

I also can not understand how one would reasonably expect it to be appropriate to be in casual attire on a formal night? Basic common sense would seem to dictate that if people are eating dinner in a nice dress, suit or tuxedo, they will maintain that level of dress while socializing for the remainder of the evening. I can't fault Celebrity for failure to explicitly detail in writing every potential etiquette concern that may arise.

 

Of course, you could likely have gone to shows, etc. even if "underdressed" with very low likelihood of anyone pointing out your "level" of dress. Would one reasonably expect 100% compliance passenger with cruise police enforcement? The worst that could happen is that you might feel self-conscious or be asked to return to your room.

 

Was purchasing "appropriate" clothing on board or at port not an option?

 

Issue 2:

 

If Celebrity was directly responsible for the fee for the flight change, I would recommend sending them another letter describing as concisely as possible how they were responsible for costing you money and what you expect from them to make you whole.

[ccletzgo]

I LOVE how the trend of some of these posts go.

 

You (OP) booked directly with Celebrity. They told you nothing about the ship-wide dress code post 6 PM. Your cruise docs (and the frequently quoted CONTRACT) told you nothing about it. You find out about the restriction upon boarding the ship.

 

But it is YOUR problem.

 

YOU should know that Celebrity is a dressier line (for heavens sake, don't you have Google?)

YOU should have spent your shore time in Edinburgh buying dockers.

YOU should have joined the CC roll call for your cruise and asked about this issue (which you did not know existed).

 

 

And for the air arrangements, YOU should have spent money checking on line to verify the flights that Celebrity arranged for and verified for you.

 

The mistake you made is to mention the word "compensation." If your Celebrity ship sank due to a preventable problem and you spent 3 days in a tender, many would say "what do you want? You CONTRACTED to spend time on the oceans, in a boat, and that is what Celebrity gave you. You have NO reason to ask for compensation."

 

 

Holding up in a cabin every night for an entire cruise is just crazy! (unless of course you want too;) )

For heavens sake, go buy a pair of dockers and get out and have fun!

 

I think starting the letter off with this ridiculous complaint may have soured the legitimate complaint for the OP.:rolleyes: Anyone reading the letter is forming an opinion way before getting to area of the flights. (I know I was)

 

 

As for flights. Vesna? May have been telling you exactly what she was seeing on her monitor. The airline maybe where the mix up was. That situation needs more investigating. The OP needed to spend more money on ticketing and shouldn't have had too.:(

 

Also, seems odd that the OP is interested enough in the cruise to find the Cruise Critic board, on-line, after the fact. Where was the interest, or at least curiosity before? We know now that the Internet is available to the OP. The OP indicated in the letter how important this cruise was, and how much they were looking forward to it, but no research before hand?

 

Suggestion to the Op, Some people still need a good Travel Agent. Wouldnt have cost you a cent more and could have saved you some grief.

[shipshape sam]

I was on the same cruise as you. In fact, it was the second leg of a back to back. While we dressed as per the dress code each night for our early dinner, we always changed clothes right after dinner. Even on formal nights. Usually I put on Dockers and a polo style shirt. Sometimes I even wore athletic shoes.

 

I went to the shows, Michael's Club, the casino, lounges, and no one ever said a word. I saw numerous others in casual dress as well. Sure, many stayed in dressy attire, but many did not. I ate in the casual restaurant one evening and saw people in jeans and other casual attire.

 

I have sailed on Celebrity numerous times. Their web site, your documents, and your Travel Agent should have given you the dress codes. I certainly hope you did not spend every night locked in your cabin because you were afraid to be yourself.

 

The mix up at the airport terminal was their big mistake. I too had them transfer me to Heathrow for our return flight. But before I left I called the airline to confirm the flight numbers and see what gates and terminal they use.

 

I understand your frustration, but I do not think your problems deserve a refund or any credit.

 

 

Based on your comment that 'was their (Celebrity's) big mistake' and that cost the OP $200 would you not at least think that cost should be reimbursed?

 

 

I have have very good customer service from Celebrity in the past. Not always exactly like I would have liked them to respond, but they did repsond, they responded quickly and had a rationale vs just curt answer/response.

[bububr]

The dress code issue, is not an issue, so that topic should be ended.

 

The largest concern would be the out of pocket expenses for the flight, and the confusion/misinformation.

 

We have recieved conflicting reports via the web vs. airline customer assistance in the past. Times, gates and even terminals can change at the drop of a hat. However, if the flights were changed as the letter states, and Celebrity did offer the wrong information then that issue needs to be explored in more detail.

 

Dave:eek:

[Friscorays]

The largest concern would be the out of pocket expenses for the flight, and the confusion/misinformation... if the flights were changed as the letter states, and Celebrity did offer the wrong information then that issue needs to be explored in more detail.

 

Dave:eek:

 

Agree.

 

A new complaint letter should be written. It is suggested thar complaint letters be brief and to the point (which the initial letter is not). Include all important facts (with any pertinent receipts) and state exactly what you want done about the problem. Be reasonable and pleasant.

[PurpleCow]

IMHO you're deserving of an apology about the flight mess up and a refund of the additional $200 you paid if you would't have had to pay that for the change of floght through Celebrity. As far as the dress code . . . well, I think it's probably a very rare tourist who brings only jeans to Europe. I don't think any cruise line should be expected to even consider that passengers might do that.Only Jeans? I still can't imagine . . .

 

While I know we'll be pegged as tourists because of the cameras hanging around our necks, 2 things I never pack when visiting a foreign country are jeans and sneakers. I try to more or less, if possible, fit in with the style of dress of where we're visiting. It's a case of being respectful, more than anything else, and not calling attention to ourselves as Americans.